Information relating to individual plants within a greenhouse is kept and updated in a database. Information in the database may include data relating to the pollen donor and recipient, current location and status, outcomes of the plant including number and quality of seeds generated, or other desired information. As plants are moved throughout the greenhouse, data relating to the current location and status may be updated. A more automated system for tracking plants and managing data relating to the plants in a greenhouse is desired.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for tracking the position and status of plants or plant parts in a greenhouse is provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises the steps of pollinating a first plant with pollen from a second plant, each of the first and second plants having an associated identification; associating a identification tag with a data record including the identifications of the first plant and the second plant; attaching the identification tag to seeds produced from pollinating the first plant with the second plant; harvesting the seeds from the first plant; moving the harvested seeds and the attached identification tag to a harvest area; detecting the presence of the identification tag in a harvest area with an interrogation system, the interrogation system receiving an identification signal generated by the identification tag in the harvest area, the presence of the identification tag in the harvest area indicating that the attached seeds have been harvested; and updating the data record to indicate the seeds have been harvested.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for tracking the position and status of plants or plant parts in a greenhouse is provided. The method comprising pollinating a first plant with pollen from a second plant, each of the first and second plants having an associated identification; associating an identification tag with a data record including the identifications of the first plant and the second plant; and attaching the identification tag to seeds produced from pollinating the first plant with the second plant by receiving the seeds in a bag, the bag supporting the identification tag.
The above mentioned and other features of the invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.